


Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does Whatever a Symbiote Can

by NoahLikesHummus



Series: Venom!Spidey AU [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Anne is so done, Aunt May ain't falling for no BS, Cannibalism, Dan is awesome, Eddie Brock deserves the best parent award, Or do they?, Peter Parker has the Venom Symbiote, Peter can't lie to save his life, Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Venom is The Little Shit, and failed, author tried to be serious, because venom, but post-spider bite, medical explanations are not accurate in the slightest, no beta we die like men, no lobsters were harmed in the making of this fic, spider bites and symbiotes don't mix, supposedly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 21:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16941258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoahLikesHummus/pseuds/NoahLikesHummus
Summary: Dora Skirth is an intelligent woman, she knows that Eddie Brock won’t be enough to expose Carlton Drake for the monster he is. There are too many risks, too many possibilities for everything to fail. She needs to find someone stealthy, someone who can sneak through the labs unnoticed.Spider-Man just so happens to fit the bill perfectly.(Or the fic no one asked for where Peter picks up Venom instead of Eddie, Eddie is still dragged into the chaos, Anne and Dan are awesome, Riot is screwed, and the spider bite messes everything up.)





	Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does Whatever a Symbiote Can

**Author's Note:**

> I'd been meaning to write this since Venom (2018) was released, but procrastination was just like, hey, screw you. So I put it off to the point where the sequence of events from the movie have kinda blurred together, but oh well ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> This was a lot of fun to write, though I will admit that apart from Venom (2018) I don't have much knowledge on Venom, which I need to change soon, because it's Venom. But yeah, the movie was a fun watch, and has given me way too many plot bunnies. This fic is the result of that mixing with my love for Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
> 
> So yeah, enjoy :D

Peter Parker remembers Uncle Ben’s death. He remembers the sound of gunfire, the scent of burning powder and the feel of the red life liquid flowing from his Uncle’s body as he attempts to keep the blood from spilling, even as Ben becomes far too lifeless far too quickly.

He remembers crying, screaming his throat raw in both a call for help and because _no no no not Uncle Ben!_ When help does arrive, he is told by the paramedics that nothing can be done; _‘we didn’t make it in time, I’m sorry’_.

He remembers the way Aunt May hides back her own tears as he falls into a downward spiral. Aunt May holds strong while he goes through the stages of grief, despite the fact that Uncle Ben was her husband and that there was no bond stronger than the one of Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Peter should be keeping it together so that she can grieve, but it ends up being the other way around.

He remembers the feeling of hopelessness, of not being able to protect the ones he loves. It is that feeling that motivates him, pushes him further than ever before. He takes hold of that feeling, of the fear and hate and despair, and turns those emotions, oh so dark and harmful, into something simply marvellous.

He remembers using those emotions and Uncle Ben’s memory to become Spider-Man. As Spider-Man, he will protect the citizens of New York, be it from petty crooks or aliens or anything else that comes his way. And when he saves people, he will do it all in a poorly made jumpsuit.

He remembers becoming known to the public, being debated in the newspaper one day. An article titled _Spider-Man: Hero or Menace?_ reveals what people think of him. The article is not written in his favour, and all he wants to do is curl up into a ball and cry.

He remembers on that same day he stops a mugging and as the victim says; _‘Thank you, thank you so much!’_ he realises that it doesn’t matter what the paper says. What does matter is that he helped someone when they needed it.

He remembers, three nights and even more heroic deeds later, as he sits atop a building, unmasked, the wind blowing through his hair. To his ears, the calming whistle sounds suspiciously like Uncle Ben’s voice and the breeze feels like Uncle Ben’s loving embrace.

_‘I’m so proud of you.’_

The determination he feels and the desire to protect grows stronger, and Uncle Ben remains on his mind for weeks to come. He soon becomes known not as Spider-Man, Menace, but as The Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, Queen’s own up and coming hero.

So when the lady tracks him down, eyes full of fear as she tells him of the absolutely horrific deeds of her employer, when she tells him that she can’t go to the police or the government or even the Avengers because she risks her family, he listens to each and every word.

When she begs him to; ‘ _Please, just sneak in, get the photos and take them to Eddie Brock, please help me stop him, Spider-Man’,_ Peter remembers the moment Uncle Ben died, and he just can’t say no.

Not that he would have anyway.

How hard would it be to sneak into a highly secure location, take a few photos of alien ‘Symbiotes’ and the experiments, and get out again?

Famous last words Parker, famous last words.

* * *

Dora Skirth is an intelligent woman. She knows that something needs to be done about Carlton Drake’s experiments. Inhumane is far too nice of a word for what that man does, and things had gone too far long ago.

She is intelligent, but she still fears. She fears for her family, who Carlton casually mentions from time to time as though he cares, yet the undertone of _‘if you tell, they die’_ goes left unsaid. The words never need to be vocalised. She knows all too well that if she utters a single word of his experiments, her loved ones will die.

But things have gone too far, and while Dora is fearful, she is also intelligent and above all else, she is a good person.

There are three undeniable facts of the situation. One, something needs to be done. Two, she is incapable of doing anything, least she risk what she cares for most. Three, Eddie Brock can get the word out.

But Dora is an intelligent woman, and she knows that Eddie Brock won’t be enough to expose her employer for the monster he truly is. There are too many risks, too many possibilities for everything to fail and for her involvement to be revealed.

She needs to find someone stealthy, someone who after the initial entry can sneak through the rooms and go unnoticed by anyone that should be there.

Unbidden, she thinks back to the few horror movies she has watched (not that she needs to watch any, her life is far more horrifying than anything CGI can create), and how no one ever looks up. Perhaps if she could find someone that could walk on the ceiling. She chuckles to herself despite the situation, and her co-workers give her a strange look that she opts to ignore.

They’ll think she’s finally cracked, and maybe they’re right.

Then it occurs to her. There have been reports of a new hero in Queens, a speculated mutant that can crawl up walls and shoot webs and can sneak up on anyone like the sneaky arachnid he is and- oh. Now isn’t that perfect?

As soon as she knows it’s safe to do so, she sets out to find Spider-Man.

* * *

Despite the way he tries to lower his voice and make himself taller, Dora instantly recognises him for what he is. It makes her stomach churn, nausea filling her as she begins to hold doubt. But no, there is neither room nor time for things such as second thoughts.

The pieces have fallen into play; she has taken the risk to contact Eddie Brock (even if the man was rather uncooperative), knowing full well that she may be caught. Now all that’s left is to ask Spider-Man for help, and Dora knows without a shred of doubt that Spider-Man will take up the opportunity to be the hero he strives to become.

She tells herself it doesn’t matter, despite how sick she begins to feel as she speaks of her employer and the danger that lurks in his labs. She tells herself that it doesn’t matter because everything will work out alright in the end.

She tells herself that it doesn’t matter that Spider-Man is _just a child._

Her lips quiver and she bites down hard to stop the show of emotion, blinking away the tears that begin to form in her eyes. She knows that she’s lying to herself, but there can be no going back now.

Later, she folds her hands together and prays for the first time in her life.

* * *

They sneak into the building, and Peter can’t help but think that it probably should have been more heavily guarded, especially if the big boss is hiding what Dora says he is.

He is curled up in the boot of Dora’s car, holding his breath as his spider sense tingles slightly on their way in. There’s something deep within him, a mix of the spider bite and his own natural instincts, telling him that something really bad is going to happen.

But that’s why he’s here, now isn’t it?

Peter moves to make sure his mask hasn’t slipped at all on the journey as the car comes to a slow stop. He wants to be excited about the situation, because he’s finally doing something of significance. _Fighting aliens! It’s almost like I’m an Avenger! I wonder if Captain America or Iron Man would let me join, oh man that would be awesome!_

He shakes his head, ridding himself of the thought. The excitement comes after, when everyone is safe and whatever’s making his skin tingle and shiver is dealt with.

The boot opens, and Peter blinks up, eyes adjusting from the darkness, to look at Dora. Swiftly, he climbs out of the car.

‘There are security cameras in the main area,’ Dora informs as Peter begins to climb up the wall. ‘Are you able to avoid them all?’

Peter nods, keeping his voice low as he says; ‘Pfft, cameras haven’t got anything on me.’ He tries to sound cheerful, as witty as he is in Queens, but being so far from home and going up against something he doesn’t know if he’s ready to handle, the words come out strained. At the very least, Peter doesn’t think Dora has figured out how young he is.

Not that it matters, he can still hold his own.

Dora bites her lower lip and gives a hasty nod before gesturing towards a door. Peter makes his way onto the ceiling before following her.

Upon entering the building, Peter is once again surprised by the lack of security. Sure, there are a few cameras scattered about, but apart from one guard (and oh wow apparently people really do never think to look up), there has been nothing to worry about.

When Dora sneaks him into the hidden lab, which is hidden behind a wall, because of course it is, and tells him to go on alone from here (Peter tries not to laugh because this whole situation is such a cheesy horror movie cliché), Peter pulls out his phone. He shivers as his spider sense does far more than _tingle_ , becoming almost a spasm, a full body shaking as every fibre of his being screams one word at him.

_Danger._

He shakes the feeling off, despite having learnt to rely so much on his instincts, and switches on the flashlight, pulling up the camera on his phone right after. The lab lights up slightly in front of him, though still dimly lit. The darkness surrounds him, shadows dancing off the walls and illuminating the quarantine rooms that bare far more of a resemblance to cages than anything else.

Peter moves slowly onto the ground, walking on feet as silent as a cat stalking its prey. Every few moments his phone clicks, images being taken from the room and stored into the device in his hands. He is careful, on alert as he holds evidence in his hands.

Evidence of what, he isn’t sure. The photos he has taken so far don’t provide him with anything incriminating.

That changes when he finds the first body.

Peter stops in his tracks as he looks beyond the glass walls, his mind trying to comprehend what he is seeing. He tries to swallow, lets out a choked, gaggling sound instead. The body is still, _so so still just lying there it’s like Uncle Ben again oh god-_

While his mind is in panic, his body remembers it’s mission and snaps a photo of the prone form, deteriorating and at least a day old and _god oh god this is so messed up what do I do?_

He takes a deep breath as he backs up against another glass wall, telling himself to _be calm Peter, you need to stay calm, you’ve got what you needed and now the right people can deal with this and-_

**_BANG!_ **

Peter startles, turning around and coming face to face with a woman. Her hair is wrangled, eyes bloodshot and absolute terror seems to radiate from her entire being. Peter becomes very aware of his spider sense, which has spiked even higher as it warns him. He wants to run, oh gods he has to run, he needs to _get away right now!_

‘Please help me.’

But it’s those three magic words, trembling with fear and despair and desperation, that stops him in his tracks. This person, locked away in a cage of glass and in so, so much pain, needs his help- she needs a hero. Peter needed a hero once, and there’s no way he’s not going to save this person.

So rather than running away like every fibre of his being is telling him to, Peter pulls his arm back, focuses the entirety of his super strength into one fist, and swings.

The glass shatters, the alarm sounds as the woman screams before toppling to the ground, something black and _alien_ slithers in front of him, there’s a click from his phone, and things become blurry after that.

* * *

What’s he doing again? There was something really important that he needs to do, but what? Apart from running, he has to keep on doing that of course, because people are chasing him. Is that a tree? **Yes it is.** But they’re surrounded by trees, so why is this one so special- wait, _they?_

One moment all Peter knows is the _runescapehide_ of his spider sense mixed in with something else, and the next he finds themselves- _himself_ clinging to the top of a tree. He’s sweating, something that hasn’t happened often since the spider bite, and his body feels scaringly hot. He removes one hand from the tree, moving to wipe his forehead only to realise that he still has his mask on. He frowns.

Why do they- _does he_ have his mask on? And why is he thinking of himself as _they?_ He is very much a _he,_ thank you very much. Even if he wasn’t this isn’t the non-binary _they/them_ like that person in his classes. This is _more than one_ , **_we._** Which, yeah, not good.

Peter scrunches up his face in thought, trying to connect the dots in their- _his_ mind. It takes a moment, but when the name Eddie pops into his mind, almost as though it were being lazily offered by something else (which is just ridiculous Parker, absolutely ridiculous), the rest of the puzzle falls into place.

Right. He has to get to Eddie, show the guy his phone. A quick check shows that he still has said phone, and Eddies address. A glance at the time tells Peter that there’s no way he’s going to make it back to Queens tonight.

Later, when Peter looks back on the events of that night, they’ll be glad that they messaged Aunt May and told her they were spending the night at a friend’s.

* * *

Eddie Brock has witnessed many things in his life, some of those things far stranger than others. What takes the cake, however, is seeing Spider-Man (that crap low-budget costume is recognisable anywhere) stumble through his window at ten o’clock at night.

His alcohol-addled mind tries to come up with a reason for the intrusion. He hasn’t done anything to get the small-town hero’s attention. Unless he has? But no- ooooh, right. That lady (Laura or something, wasn’t it?) had said something about getting photos and Spider-Man and damn it, Eddie had told her not to involve him!

Yet here Spider-Man is, stumbling around his apartment as though he’s the drunk one, and Eddie isn’t quite sure what to do.

 _Play it cool,_ he tells himself, _play it very, very cool._

‘You’re a bit far from home, aren’t you?’

Spider-Man snaps his head towards him, as though just noticing that Eddie is in _his own freaking apartment._

There’s something in Spider-Man’s gaze that sends shivers down Eddie’s spine, even though he can’t see the eyes through the white goggles the hero is wearing. Spider-Man looks away, moving towards the kitchen, sniffing around like a starved hound. At this point Eddie would have flared up, but his intuition is telling him that something is very, very wrong.

So instead he says; ‘Hey, are you hungry?’

That gets Spider-Man’s attention.

‘Yes, please.’

Oh wow, _wow_ , Spider-Man doesn’t sound like a man at all, and there is a growing comprehension in Eddie’s mind, anger right beside it. If he’s right, and he’d better not be, but if he is there are going to be some words said to Laura- Dora- whatever the fuck her name is.

He moves to the fridge, opening it slowly and crouching down to see if there’s anything safe to eat left. Before he has the chance to sniff at the Chinese takeaway that’s been sitting there for god knows how long, Eddie is shoved out of the way, his surprised protest being cut short as Spider-Man grabs the chicken at the back that really, _really_ isn’t safe to eat, yanks his mask off, and shoves the thing into his mouth, bones and all.

Eddie is too shocked to try and prevent the boy from eating the long gone off meat, because his suspicions have been confirmed. Spider-Man really is just a boy- a child thrown into a fucked-up adults’ world and sonofabitch, if he ever meets Dora again…

* * *

Peter is aware of Eddie, in the abstract way the one is aware of something out of the corner of their eye. They- _he_ keeps an eye on Eddie’s movements, taking note of the other’s every action even though that is far from the top priority at the moment.

His mind is hot and fuzzy, yet also hyper-aware of the surroundings. It is a strange, confusing confliction, but amidst the strangeness of it all Peter can make out one very pressing matter.

They’re- _he’s_ hungry.

Peter hasn’t been this hungry since his metabolism first became enhanced after the spider bite, back when he had no idea why he was so hungry all the time and not wanting to ask Aunt May for more food than what was offered.

Now almost reminds Peter of those days, but not quite. Back then, anything he ate could fill his stomach and quench his hunger. Now, however, it almost seems as though he needs something different, something _more_. The frozen slab of red meat that had been devoured at the same time as the Tater Tots helped the hunger slightly, but it _still isn’t enough._

And then he has a thought, one that seems foreign in the space of his own mind, that suggests that the living, breathing human would be a good meal.

**Food.**

The thought is enough to slightly snap Peter out of the haze that has clouded his mind. He turns slowly to Eddie, swallowing whatever it is sticking out of his mouth, and it seems that Eddie is just as appalled by the action as he is.

Peter is still unnaturally hot, and while a small part of him recognises that he really shouldn’t have taken his mask off, and also that he really, _really_ shouldn’t take anything else off, he does just that. Why is everything so _hot?_

Eddie tries to stop him from stripping down to nothing but his birthday suit, and when that doesn’t work he turns away and voices his protests.

Peter blinks, his stomach quenching tightly, as a reminder that he needs to eat, but he also remembers something equally important.

Grasping his suit in fumbling hands, Peter eventually finds the pockets. After pulling the phone out and unlocking the device, he throws it at Eddie’s head before running off to find food suitable enough to sustain them- _him_.

 _What’s happening to me?_ Peter thinks, and there’s a rumbling in his mind that sounds like a reply.

* * *

By the time Eddie has picked up the phone, ready to voice his protest, Spider-Man is gone. He swears, pocketing the phone before rushing out the front door to chase down the naked teen. Spider-Man is quick on his feet, but Eddie manages to keep him in his sight as they take twists, alternating between crowded areas and dimly lit streets.

Few people give him strange looks, but most just pretend not to notice him chasing down a naked, underaged male. And yes, Eddie knows how this looks, but shit, something is seriously not right and if anything bad happens to the kid because some scientist chick thought it’d be a good idea to involve a _child_ in this mess, well, he knows he will blame himself later.

Spider-Man comes to a halt in front of a Chinese restaurant far out of anyone’s budget, a variety of live seafood lined up in tanks along the front window. It is a proud display of the quality of the restaurant. Eddie has a really bad feeling when Spider-Man takes a moment to look at all of the fish in feral hunger, before entering the establishment.

‘Shit.’

He runs fingers through his hair, mentally preparing himself for the absolute chaos he knows is to come, before going in after Spider-Man.

Eddie tries to be discreet, which isn’t hard at all when all eyes are on Spider-Man, who is snatching food off plates and devouring it like he’s never eaten in his life. The teen is standing in front of a standard cliché couple seated in the middle of the room, and while the man looks concerned for Spider-Man, the woman looks just about ready to fire up and give the teen a piece of her mind and-

And that’s Anne, crap.

Butterflies flipping in his stomach at the sight of his ex, Eddie forces his way towards the trio in attempt to salvage the situation.

‘Hey.’ Eddies says, placing a hand on Spider-Man’s shoulder and trying to hide his flinch at the feeling of something moving beneath the flesh under his fingertips. Seriously, what the fuck? Turning to Anne and her… Eddie decides to go with plus one, he tries to explain; ‘I uh, this is, er, my cousin, and he hasn’t been too well, and, crap.’

Anne gives him a scathing, disappointed look. Distantly he is aware of Spider-Man moving away, but staring into the deep gaze of his ex, it reminds him of everything he loves, and has lost. Her lips, so soft and plump and a beautiful shade of red move, to undoubtedly say something accusing and hurtful, but one of the staff members cuts them off with a raised voice.

‘Sir, you can’t sit in the lobster tank.’

Both Eddie, Anne and the plus one turn in the direction of the commotion before moving towards it.

At the sight that greets them, Eddie has the horrible urge to whimper, steal the fluffiest blanket he can find and curl up into a ball in a hole and die, because what the fuck has his life come to? He meets Spider-Man, Spider-Man goes crazy, sees far more of Spider-Man than he ever wanted to, and now Spider-Man is in the lobster tank, panting and looking at him with murky eyes.

Eddie is once again reminded that whatever is going on, Dora involved a _child_.

‘Hey kid.’ He says, crouching down so that he’s at the same level as the tank. ‘We’re in a real mess. You need to calm down, can you do that for me?’

Spider-Man blinks at him, swallowing. ‘We- _I_ \- it’s so hot, and I don’t- _we’re so **hungry**.’_

Eddie is about to reply to that; suggest that they go to the hospital, or at least find somewhere cheaper to eat, but then Spider-Man jerks, hand reaching down into the water and yanking a lobster out of the tank.

When Spider-Man decides to devour the lobster raw, shell and all, while sitting in the tank and submerged in water, Eddie can’t help but wonder what his life has become.

* * *

Carlton Drake is intelligent. Carlton Drake is collected. Carlton Drake is patient.

Usually.

But right now, in this very moment, Carlton Drake is _furious._

And that fury, the absolute wrath that combines Carlton Drake’s intellect, calm and endurance, is terrifying. It is not an explosive anger, but one that is controlled and silent. It bares such a resemblance to a beast of the wild waiting for the right moment to pounce that Dora finds herself in tears, begging for forgiveness before she even realises what she’s doing.

The night was such a mess, a Symbiote on the loose, and the security guard undoubtedly recognised her for the traitor she is.

So when Carlton Drake asks for a name, she gives only one. When Carlton Drake tells her to go with him into the labs, she follows, knowing that no one will hear her screams.

And in her final moments she, a lifelong atheist, once again prays that Spider-Man is not there when Carlton Drake comes knocking on Eddie Brock’s door.

* * *

Eddie is grateful for Anne’s plus one- Dan- who is a doctor and provided the restaurant manager with some scientific, medical bullshit that saves Spider-Man and himself from the whole mess.

It’s the next day and they’re in the hospital, Dan getting them in first thing for an appointment, Spider-Man clad in hospital robes and looking both alert and completely out of it. Which makes little to no sense.

Rather than trying to talk directly to Spider-Man, Dan turns to ask Eddie all the questions instead. ‘I’ll need some details about your cousin before we get started.’

Shit. Crap. Muffins on a fucking stick. All Eddie knows about the teen is that he’s a mutant super hero and he’s pretty sure putting ‘Spider-Man’ down as the patient’s name would be a very bad thing to do. It’s bad enough that Spider-Man has been involved in this mess at all, the least Eddie can do is keep quiet about the whole secret identity thing.

Something must show on his face, because before Eddie can lie his way out of the situation, Anne moves towards Spider-Man, who blinks sluggishly up at her.

‘Hello there.’ Anne says, tactful as always. ‘Are you able to tell us your name? I think it’s pretty obvious you aren’t related to the idiot over there.’ At this she gives Eddie a very pointed look, one which just screams _if you’ve done anything to this child I’ll make your life a living hell._

Eddie swallows.

‘We’re- we mean- I- I mean _-_ _I’m_ Peter, Parker.’ Spider-Man- Peter- says slowly, as though the words don’t quite sound right.

Dan scribbles something down on a clipboard, his face scrunched up in concern. He moves towards Peter, and speaking in the same tone that Anne had previously, he says; ‘We’re going to take an MRI, okay? See if I can figure out what’s happening in that body of yours.’

There’s a flash of fear in Peter’s eyes, and it says a lot about how the teen must be feeling that he goes willingly into the machine despite the nervousness.

It is then that Eddie remembers that even though Peter is young, he is still Spider-Man, which means that he’s a mutant. That means that maybe getting an MRI scan in a public hospital doesn’t seem like as much of a good idea as it had been when Peter was still devouring the all too fresh seafood.

‘Wait-’ He starts, but it’s just a second too late. Dan has pressed a button, the machine has fired up and then suddenly there’s an ear-piercing scream coming from where Peter is and shit, shit shit _shit_ , Eddie never wants to hear a sound like that ever again.

* * *

Peter knows that he shouldn’t climb into the machine, that if anyone looks at his scans, his mutation will be revealed to the world. But there’s a presence shifting, settling into his skin and mind, and last night he devoured a _freaking Lobster_ , among other things. Something isn’t right.

If an MRI can help figure out what’s happening to him- what’s _inside_ him, then he’ll do it. Even if that means revealing himself as a mutant.

That’s what he tells himself as he lay still in the enclosed space. When the machine fires up, however all thought is gone from his mind, replaced with a burning, searing pain that consumes his entire being.

His body jerks and twists, changes and morphs into something else, and then goes back again as he screams and screams and _screams._

It _hurts, oh gods it hurts so much_ **we need to get away** _it hurtsithurtsithurstmakeitstop!_

And then the sound does stop. Peter is left a panting, hyperventilating mess as Eddie pulls him out of the machine.

‘Shit, kid, c’mon, you’re okay now. It’s okay. You’re safe.’

Peter sniffles, pulling himself close to his saviour, who rubs gentle circles into his back as he tries to get his breathing back under control. Eventually, he pulls away.

‘Th-thank you.’ Peter says, breath hitching slightly as something in his mind rumbles in approval.

* * *

After parting ways with Anne and Dan (who Eddie is not at all jealous of) and finding Peter some clothes, Eddie and Peter find themselves in Eddie’s apartment, awaiting the call that will tell them exactly what is going on with Peter. Though remembering his conversation with Dora about aliens and ‘Symbiotes’ and experiments, Eddie thinks he’s beginning to figure it out.

And if the way Peter is pacing around anxiously, literally climbing up the walls as he talks to himself and fights against his own limbs, Eddie’s pretty sure the teen has figured it out as well.

The apartment is silent, apart from Peter’s muttered responses to something Eddie cannot hear. Not that he’d want to, anyway.

After a while a phone rings, the Star Wars theme playing loud and Eddie can’t help but snicker, because who would have thought that Spider-Man would be such a geek?

When Peter turns to him with black, shining eyes, Eddie becomes very aware that said phone is still in the pocket of his jacket, and that he is also more than likely in the presence of a monster from another planet that is trying to hijack the body of a mutant with super strength, among other things.

He quickly hands the phone to Peter, who is on the ceiling.

* * *

‘Hi Aunt May.’ Peter says, trying his best to sound like he totally hasn’t gotten into any trouble. No siree.

 _‘Peter, thank goodness you’re okay!’_ Aunt May’s voice comes through the speaker, soothing Peter slightly. _‘I called Ned earlier, but he said he hasn’t seen you since Friday. You have some explaining to do, mister.’_

The presence that Peter has recently learnt is hitching a ride in his own body snickers.

‘Seriously?’

_‘Seriously what young man? I was worried and you-’_

‘No no no, not you Aunt May.’ Peter amends, thinking quickly to come up with a decent lie. ‘I’m at a different friend’s house, but I might not be home for another day because everyone is sick-’ He fakes a cough for emphasis. ‘-and they want to take care of me…? I mean man, these guys are really taking the whole take care of your guest’s thing to the extreme and…’

Oh boy, he’s rambling now. That totally didn’t seem suspicious, Parker, not suspicious at all.

 _‘O…kay?’_ Aunt May really doesn’t seem like she believes him. Heck, Peter wouldn’t believe himself either.

**You’re a looser, Peter, of course she won’t believe you’ve made friends.**

‘I am not a looser! And I have totally made friends.’

**Doubtful.**

‘Dude, seriously. What do you think you are?’

The entity falls silent at that. Not that Peter’s complaining.

_‘Peter, do you want me to come and get you? I know not having many friends is hard… but if someone’s bullying you, then they aren’t really a friend.’_

Peter jumps at the voice, only just realising that Aunt May has heard him talking seemingly to himself. She must have jumped to her own conclusions.

‘No no no, it’s all fine Aunt May.’ He reassures. ‘It’s just, they said it was a parasite or something-’ **Parasite? I am not a parasite!** ‘-so everyone’s acting a little weird, is all. And I guess they don’t want it spreading around so…’

_‘If you’re sure… take care, sweetie.’_

‘You too, love you Aunt May.’

As though in a movie, as soon as Peter’s finger touches the ‘end call’ button, a loud, horrible shrieking sound, almost the same pitch but not quite from the MRI, sounds from the apartment across from Eddie’s.

Peter covers his ears as the sound feels like it could split his skull in two, and anger that surely couldn’t be his own surges to the surface. Storming out of the apartment, despite Eddie’s protest, Peter pounds on the door that is hiding the awful sound.

Just when he’s about to give up and kick the door in, it opens. The man on the other side looks at him, and then to a nervous Eddie who is standing behind him.

Peter grips the doorframe so hard the wood cracks as the awful excuse for music continues to play. The Symbiote inside him wants to do terrible, _terrible_ things to this person, but no, they can’t. Peter is Spider-Man, they- _he_ can’t hurt people.

So instead he grinds his teeth and asks; ‘Can you turn down the music a bit? Please.’

‘Sorry dude, but no way.’

Evidently the guy has absolutely no ability to sense the obvious predator on his doorstep.

Peter isn’t quite sure what happens in the next few seconds. He feels something in his face shift slightly, a snarl working its way from their- _his_ throat, and then the guy is trembling in terror, running back into his apartment and turning his music off.

‘Holy shit.’ Eddie says, and for a brief moment all Peter wants to do is eat this human. But no, Eddie is good. The Symbiote seems to agree with that. ‘Your face was just- shit.’

Peter blinks. ‘My what?’

‘It’s… never mind, it’s back to normal now.’

* * *

Eddie is officially freaking out. If the earlier events weren’t enough to confirm what he pretty much already knew, then seeing those eyes and veins and the sheer terror on his neighbour’s face made what was happening a reality.

He needs to backtrack, figure out exactly what happened to Peter in the lab and then maybe… maybe they can fix this? He doesn’t feel very hopeful, but damnit if there’s one thing he has a weakness for, its kids. And Anne. And Anne looking really worried about this specific kid.

Shit. He’d thought he would have moved on by now, but apparently not.

So after beckoning Peter back into his apartment and locking the door, he goes back to the phone Peter had seemingly forgotten on the couch in his bout of rage against the guy next door, and scrolls through the camera roll.

There isn’t much to go off in the first few images, apart from the whole thing giving off ‘creepy secret lab’ vibes. And then there’s the dead body, which, okay, that’s nothing new to Eddie but shit, it must be new to Peter.

Because despite being an up-and-coming hero, Peter is still a _child_. Something Eddie is not going to forget. And if he ever sees Dora again then…

Okay, he’s going off track. He needs to figure out what happened.

Which becomes rather evident when he swipes to the next photo. There’s shattered glass, the still form of a woman that looks eerily familiar, and something black and blurred attaching itself to a leg clad in red.

He could go to his former employer with this evidence, it might even land him a job. But if he does he not only risks Spider-Man, but also puts Peter at risk because the Symbiote living inside him? Carlton Drake isn’t going to be the only one interested.

* * *

‘So do you have a name?’ Peter asks, and it should feel weird talking to himself, but it doesn’t. He thinks, in the strange hazy way he has been since the lab, that he should be worried. That he should be freaking out about having an alien inside him. But he isn’t. It’s almost like… something he didn’t know was wrong is being righted.

**_We_ are Venom.**

The voice says, deep and monstrous as it echoes throughout their- _his-_ no, it’s _their_ mind now. And that should terrify Peter, he’s changing not only physically to accommodate the Symbiote- Venom- but also mentally, his thought process becoming something foreign, yet also being built off what is already there.

He is being influenced by Venom, and it also seems that Venom is being influenced by him.

‘So.’ Eddie starts, holding the phone out for Peter to have back for the time being. ‘The Symbiote, it can switch hosts, right?’

**Yes. But we won’t.**

Peter tells Eddie what Venom says, and Eddie seems to deflate, exhaustion from the recent events becoming evident. Peter doesn’t tell Eddie that he doesn’t want Venom to change hosts, and shoves down the guilt that comes with keeping quiet.

‘But why not?’ Eddie snaps, running fingers through his hair and taking a gulp from the beer bottle Peter hadn’t noticed was in his hands. ‘For fucks sake, I don’t give a shit if you’re some alien parasite-’ Peter winces at Venom’s outraged cry at the word. ‘-or what, but he’s a _child_ , you can’t- fuck- my life’s already fucked, so why can’t you just hop on into me instead?’

Peter feels panic at the words, both his own and Venom’s. **_‘No!’_** They say as one, face changing as it did in the hallway. Eddie flinches. **_‘This body is perfect, and it is OURS.’_**

Eddie holds his arms up, yielding. ‘Okay, okay, sheesh, I get it. You’re a big bad alien and the kid’s the perfect host. Can you put Peter back in charge, please?’

They feel their- _his_ face shift back, and Peter wriggles nervously. He has to tell Eddie. ‘It’s, uh,’ he starts, ‘that was me, too. I’m sorry we- _I_ lashed out.’

‘What?’

‘It’s like,’ Peter scrunches his face up in thought, ‘it’s like there’s me, and Venom, but we’re also the same…?’ He slumps his shoulders. ‘I don’t know how to explain it, but it kinda feels like we’re becoming one being, you know?’

‘Nope, I have no fucking clue.’ Eddie says, sighing. ‘But doesn’t it worry you?’

‘Not really-’

**We need to run.**

And then the door is smashed down, armed men pouring into the apartment and taking aim at Eddie.

‘Kid,’ one of the men say as the troops surround the two of them, ‘you need to leave, now.’

‘Uhh…’ Peter stares, connecting the dots in their- _his_ mind. Oh boy, these are Carlton’s men. But why are they telling him to leave? Shouldn’t they be trying to capture him?

**Let’s eat them.**

Next to him, Eddie makes an audible gulp, jerking his neck in a way that can only be interpreted as _RUN_.

Peter turns to the people surrounding them before following the barrels of the guns. He finds himself looking back at Eddie, who continues to make the head jerks, arms raised above his head.

Oh. They must think that Eddie was the one that broke in, and Eddie seems to want to go along with it. Which, nu-uh, that’s not gonna to fly.

There’s a pulsing in the back of his mind, where the part of Venom that has not yet completely settled lurks. No one here seems to know he’s Spider-Man, which is good, but it also means he can’t reveal that part of himself. But maybe… maybe there’s a different part of them that can be used to fight back.

With this in mind, Peter doesn’t fight it when Venom takes over.

* * *

Eddie can’t do much more than watch in absolute horror as Peter (wait, nope, that is definitely not Peter) takes down their attackers with little effort, a strange black substance that is undoubtedly part of the Symbiote’s form moving with the grace and ease of…

Well, of an alien beast taking host in a child. Which is an accurate description of the situation.

And then Venom bolts, destroying his window as it jumps through it, taking Peter’s body with it.

Eddie wants to chase after them, he really does. But _fuck_ , he needs a minute to take in the situation. Looking around at all of the unconscious, and in some cases dead, bodies surrounding him causes nausea to roll around in his stomach.

He laughs, and if it’s bordering on being hysterical, well, he’s had a long past couple of days.

There’s a buzzing in his pocket, and despite being sorely tempted to throw his phone out the now broken window, he forces himself to answer the call. It’s Dan, after all, and that means it’s Peter’s hospital results and yeah, that shit’s important.

Doesn’t stop him from kicking a body away from the fridge door before pulling out another cold one, though.

‘Hey, Dan!’ Eddie says, trying to pull off a calm, collected, my-apartment-totally-isn’t-full-of-bodies-and-someone-didn’t-just-try-and-kill-me, voice. He doubts it works, but apparently Dan has a far more urgent matter to discuss because there isn’t even a _‘hey, you okay?_ ’ How rude.

 _‘Okay, so, there’s something really serious going on with Peter. He has a parasite.’_ Dan explains, and yeah, Eddie’s figured that out already. He tries not to snicker. _‘Which should be easy to fix with some medication, but he’s showing signs of a mutation that hasn’t settled in yet, and that’s- I’m no expert on mutants, and we probably need to call in a professional, but that’s not today’s problem.’_

At that, Eddie does snicker. ‘Okay then Dan-o, what’s today’s problem?’ _Apart from how the fuck I’m going to clean up this mess._

 _‘Right. Today’s problem is that because Peter’s mutation hasn’t completely stabilised yet, the parasite seems to be working its way into those genes and becoming part of them.’_ There’s a pause, which Eddie personally thinks is rather foreboding. _‘And I have no idea what’ll happen after that, but my best guess is that Peter’s body will break down, which means that you need to bring him back in as soon as possible.’_

‘Right.’ Eddie swallows, the gust of wind blowing through the broken window reminding him of the gravity of the situation. ‘Bring him in, yeah, okay, that’s… yeah.’

_‘Eddie, is everything okay?’_

There’s concern in Dan’s voice, which warms Eddie’s heart.

‘Peter’s… missing.’ He says, slowly. He cringes, waiting for an angry outburst, but there isn’t one.

Instead there’s a sigh. _‘Okay.’_ Dan says. _‘Can you go look for him? If you aren’t already, I mean. And I’ll call Anne.’_

‘Yeah,’ Eddie says, ‘yeah, I’ll look for him. And Dan…’

_‘Yes?’_

‘Is there any chance you could keep word of the kid’s mutation from getting out?’

_‘Of course. Doctor-Patient confidentiality does exist, you know.’_

‘Right, forgot about that. Thanks.’

* * *

The first thing Eddie realises when he leaves his apartment building is that his motorbike is missing. Of course it is. So he does the first thing that comes to mind and steals his neighbours. Hey, it’s not like the guy will mind, not after the fright Peter gave him earlier.

Racing around the city as though he is the one being hunted down by people set out to capture him and most likely lock him away in a lab for the rest of his life, Eddie searches for Venom and/or Peter. He stops every once in a while, keeping an ear out for anything that might help him find Peter, and after an hour of so passes and the city is illuminated not by the setting sun, but streetlights, he finally comes across something useful.

That something useful being a monster biting the head off someone in front of a huge crowd, swallowing said head and devouring the body soon after. The monster is as black as obsidian with markings that strangely resemble the insignia on Spider-Man’s budget suit.

Now that Eddie is looking closer, he realises that while the body is far larger and more filled out, the muscle tone and structure seem awfully familiar.

Oh, and there goes another body. Hopefully Peter isn’t as revolted by cannibalism as most people. But of course he will be, because he’s a child and has morals and _shit_ , Eddie doesn’t know how he’s going to be able to pick up the pieces.

And if something doesn’t happen soon, word is going to get to the Avenger’s or the remains of S.H.I.E.L.D or _the_ _government_ and shit, nope, Eddie isn’t letting any of those groups get their hands on his kids.

Wait. His kids. _What even- no, I’ll think about that after I’ve found them. Again._

* * *

Anne ends up finding Peter, and thus Venom. Not that she knows the name of the thing in front of her, or that underneath all that violence and gore is the child she may or may not have subconsciously adopted. It’s not like she knows that, either. Subconscious and all.

She stares up at the monster, trying her best to pretend she isn’t surrounded by bodies and blood and- _oh god is that a spleen?_

Right, focus on the monster, Anne. The monster that is stalking towards her, lowering itself until it is on all fours to appear smaller, before it’s hide sinks in on itself and reveals the form of the missing Peter Parker.

Anne takes a step back. Of fucking course Eddie would get her involved in bloody psychopathic shapeshifting monster children and oh boy is she having some words with him after she escapes this thing in front of her.

But then she looks into the thing’s eyes, and while they do flicker to a strange black, there is sadness and shame and something else that is indescribable that shines in them, and that makes Anne remember what Dan had told her.

She laughs, pulling Peter into her trembling arms. ‘Some parasite you’ve got there, Peter.’

**_‘We are not a parasite!’_ **

She jumps at the voice, distorted and low but still partially Peter’s. As scary as that may sound, it ends up being more reassuring than anything else.

‘Of course not.’ She says, not really meaning it. It seems to help Peter relax nonetheless.

‘Anne, you need to get away from him, now.’

Aaaand of course that’s when Eddie comes in, flustered and frazzled and looking at Peter like he just might make a snack out of Anne. Which is a valid concern, but Anne has just watched a slaughter, it’s past her bedtime, and today has been way too long. So she really doesn’t give a shit.

Eddie makes a strangled sound. ‘You don’t give a shit?’ He chokes out. Oh dear, she must have said that last part aloud. ‘Are you suicidal, Anne?’

‘You know that’s a sensitive topic!’ Anne snaps back, cradling Peter in her arms as she stands up. Peter doesn’t protest. ‘We need to get out of here, now.’

* * *

The car ride to the hospital is both awkward and tense. The nagging hunger Peter had been feeling is gone, replaced with the feeling of a too full stomach and lazy contentedness. They are aware, the senses of Peter and Venom both working overtime in search of future threats.

Anne asks a number of questions as she drives, ranging from their weaknesses to how fast they digest what they’ve eaten. They answer truthfully, and without much thought. They do not know what will happen next, to either the Peter or Venom part of their being, but they like these two humans, and have no desire to see fear or distrust on either of their faces.

 ** _‘We like you two.’_** They admit. When Anne and Eddie exchange glances they add; **_‘Have you mated?’_**

Anne swerves the car and Eddie chokes. Neither answer the question, and a disjointed part of Peter whispers that perhaps saying such a thing was not the smartest thing to do.

And then it’s the realisation that Peter’s been thinking of himself as both they and Venom, that snaps him out of his sluggish trance.

‘I’m so sorry!’ Peter says, flushing red. ‘We- _I_ was a bit out of it.’

He can feel Venom pouting in his mind. **It is an important question.**

Peter puts his head in his hands. ‘Seriously. What even is our- _my_ life?’

‘I’ve been asking myself that since you crawled through my window, don’t think too much about it.’ Eddie says. ‘Now that you’ve snapped out of it, how are you feeling? Does it feel like your insides are destroying themselves?’

Peter let’s Venom’s feeling of **what the fuck** show on his face. ‘I feel fine. I mean, I’m not as hungry anymore and-’ He stops, remembering the reason he isn’t as hungry anymore. ‘Oh crud, I ate people.’ His voice raises a few octaves as the realisation of what he has done sets in. ‘Oh no, oh no, I _ate people_ , I’m supposed to be a _hero_ , and I _ate people!’_

**Well, they weren’t exactly nice people.**

‘Shut up!’

**And they were trying to kill us.**

‘I mean, that’s true I guess… Wait, no, just, stop talking, please!’

Strangely enough, Venom does go quiet.

Eddie places a hand on Peter’s shoulder, giving them- _him_ the reassurance of; ‘We’ll get through this.’

* * *

When they arrive at the hospital, Anne fills Dan in about Venom while Eddie keeps an eye on Peter as they all move towards the same room as before, MRI and all. Venom seems to realise where they are going, and Peter begins to struggle against both the Symbiote and his own urge to run away.

Once in the room, away from prying eyes and ears, Dan tells Peter what he has already told Eddie, about how the parasite **(not a parasite!)** is adapting and filling in the holes of his half-completed mutation.

‘Did you know about your mutation, Peter?’ Dan asks, voice steady and calm despite having been told of Venom’s previous activities.

Peter shifts nervously on his seat, holding Venom back from doing something they will regret. ‘Yeah, we- I mean _I_ knew about it. It’s pretty hard not to notice being stuck to a wall.’ He chuckles nervously. ‘And climbing walls, and shooting webs from my wrists and accidentally breaking my bedroom lock. Yeah, it’s kinda hard to miss that.’

Dan nods, moving to take note of what he’s just been told but stopping before the pen can hit the paper. He seems saddened, and a quick glance at both Anne and Eddie shows that they both feel the same way.

‘So what does my mutation have to do with Venom?’ Peter asks after a moment of silence that is far too long.

‘I’m not quite sure.’ Dan admits. ‘But it seems as though the Symbiote’s presence in putting a large amount of pressure on your body. I suspect that if you did not have a mutation, the Symbiote would have already destroyed you from the inside out. But due to the mutation, and how immature it is, it’s like both the parasite- sorry, Symbiote- and your own body are trying to adapt to the changes. The problem with that, however, is that in doing so there is even more strain being placed on your body.’

‘But I don’t feel any strain!’ Peter protests, weak though it may be. There’s a nagging doubt in his mind, almost as clear as it had been before the lab, that maybe Venom is just going to use him up and leave him for dead.

 **We will adapt and become one! No harm will come of it!** Venom protests, and Peter begins to once again loose himself in the presence of the Symbiote and now that he know what this is, he isn’t going to let it happen.

‘You’re not using my body!’ Peter snaps, wrapping his arms around himself, even as Venom tugs on _his_ body in attempt to get him to relax. ‘I thought you were my friend, but you’re just _using me_.’

 **No, never. You will not be harmed!** It’s strange, but Venom sounds distressed. Peter is too angry to care.

‘THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT!?’

**Our mind and body are adapting, the both of us are transforming and once the bond is complete-**

And of course, that’s the moment Anne fires up the MRI.

* * *

The screaming is louder than the last time, or perhaps it’s just filled with so much more pain. Or maybe it’s because even after the Symbiote is flung out of its host and locked up in the MRI room, Peter doesn’t stop screaming. The sound he’s making is almost as inhuman as the shrieking the black pile of… something.

Eddie allows himself just enough time to think; _why is it still hurting him?_ before he runs over to Anne and shouts at her to turn the machine off. He feels a little guilty about the shouting, but she doesn’t seem to mind, smashing down on a button as soon as she tells her to.

Gradually the shrieks die down, turning into whimpers and cries before disappearing completely.

Eddie runs over to Peter’s prone form, lying on the cold tiled floor, still but breathing. Peter shifts and squirms slightly, blinking up at Eddie and just for a moment, Eddie could swear that his eyes are still that pearly black they were when Peter was more Venom than himself. But that’s just stupid, the Symbiote is locked away behind glass and all three of them are safe.

‘Something’s wrong.’ Peter says, voice raw. ‘Something’s missing. I don’t feel right.’ His body trembles, and Eddie helps him stand on shaky legs. ‘I shouldn’t be- we shouldn’t- I don’t- something’s missing and it’s not here and it needs to be and _what’s happening to me?’_

Eddie frowns, worried. Maybe separating Venom from Peter wasn’t the best thing to do. He remembers Peter talking about how he is Venom and Venom is him, and thinks that maybe both of their beings had become so close to being one that Peter truly has lost a part of himself.

No, he can’t think like that. He can’t have doubts. The Symbiote was going to kill Peter in the end, and Peter is _just a child_.

Abruptly, Peter stops his ramblings. Pushing away from Eddie he places his hands on the glass window, staring at Venom. ‘What did you do to me?’ He demands with an anguish Eddie has only seen on those that have lost all they have. ‘You what, altered my mind and tried to destroy my body? I can’t- I need- but no, _no_ , I can’t do this. I thought you were my friend, but in the end all you are is a _monster_.’

And then Peter leaves, stumbling out the door and down the hall and Eddie can’t help but feel that it was all a front, because despite having only known Peter for two days, the hurtful words that had been directed towards Venom would never escape Peter’s lips as a truth.

‘Where’d it go?’

Oh, right, of course Venom would be able to escape.

They split up, Anne taking one direction, Dan heading back to work, and Eddie soon finds himself speed walking through a ward that looks far more like a nursing home. An animal friendly nursing home at that, if the Chihuahua-thing trotting along beside him is anything to go by.

He shivers; ‘Chihuahua’s are terrifying creatures.’

 **‘It’s a Papillion.’** Venom corrects. **‘Peter is in danger.’**

Wait.

Eddie blinks down at the dog, which is apparently a Papillion, and really wishes he could be surprised when he looks into its eyes.

Fuck it.

* * *

Peter’s mind has gone back to being a haze, but this time it’s different. There’s a gaping hole in his heart and soul and he knows that he needs Venom to fill it, that they have become one in the same and cannot survive without each other. But that’s the kicker, isn’t it?

He’s Spider-Man, and he saves people. Yet in the past couple of days not only has he killed, but he’s devoured as well. He knows, _knows_ , that he should feel nauseous and disgusted and so much more, but it feels like his body (not just the form that Venom wrapped himself in) has only just acquired the sustenance it really needs. He finds himself craving more raw meat, his mind not at all appalled by the thought of the hunt, human or otherwise.

Venom wasn’t trying to kill him, or even hurt him, Peter realises. The Symbiote was manipulating his own mutation to change him enough that he wouldn’t be killed. The perfect host indeed.

And now Peter feels awful for what he said and the way he left, because despite how messed up the situation is, Venom is still his friend.

He’s about to rush back to the hospital when he becomes aware of his spider sense, but before he can react the world around him fades away.

* * *

Peter comes to slowly, blinking his eyes open and closed again as he tries to make sense of the situation. He tries to rub his eyes, only to find his wrists bound to the arms of the uncomfortable chair he is trapped in.

‘Awake now, are we?’

‘Maybe…?’ Peter responds, looking up at his captor, who is most definitely Carlton Drake.

Uh-oh.

‘What I find interesting,’ Carlton starts, ‘is that someone as young and full of potential as you, would break into my labs. Dora must have been incredibly persuasive, and foolish.’

‘Who?’ Play dumb, Parker, play dumb and on the off chance that Dora isn’t already dead, then maybe she’ll be safe.

‘No matter.’ Carlton responds. A tremor runs up Peter’s arm, spider sense blaring in his mind just as it had the last time he was in these labs. ‘Now, where is Venom?’

Peter frowns. ‘How do you know-’

Carlton’s face twists in range, and then the man transforms into something that looks a bit like Venom, but with a lot more sharp and pointy bits sticking out.

 **‘WHERE IS VENOM?’** The new Symbiote roars.

‘I don’t know!’ Peter snaps back like the teenager he is, which yeah, not a good idea. But he’d also really like to know because he’s burning up and it feels like his body is going to destroy itself without Venom’s presence, so yeah. Death is a terrifying concept.

But now the new Symbiote is even angrier, and Peter begins to suspect that his cause of death will be ‘angry red alien thingy’ instead of ‘messed up the second friendship he’s ever had’. Which sounds really sad when he thinks about it, but apart from Ned, he hasn’t had any luck making friends, what with the whole Spider-Man thing and…

_Oh yeah, I’m Spider-Man, woah._

He’d forgotten his secret identity in the chaos of the last couple of days, but he’s still a mutant with super strength, speed and a whole package of awesome powers. And besides, it’s not like the Symbiote in front of him is going to care much about secret identities and-

Peter kicks out just as the Symbiote’s jaw unhinges, sending the startled creature flying, before yanking his wrists free from their metal restraints and, ignoring the howl of rage behind him, he runs _._

He takes twists and turns, forces doors open and crawls through the air vents until he finds himself outside, forest surrounding him. His spider sense tells him that he has lost the Symbiote, but that doesn’t stop him from running and jumping and on one occasion he even attempts to shoot his webs. Which goes horribly, because despite adrenaline being a wonderous thing, his mind is still hazy and he’s just about ready to pass out as soon as he finds a suitable tree to hide in.

Just as he’s about to crawl his way up a tree deemed good enough for a hiding spot from a vicious angry alien that has taken over the body of a vicious, evil human, the sound of dry leaves crunching under feet sends Peter into a fighting stance.

The spider senses may not be tingling, but with the angry red Symbiote out to get him, it’s better to be prepared.

A figure makes its way towards him, both familiar and foreign in appearance.

‘Venom!’ Peter exclaims, letting his guard down. ‘Have you buffed up?’

And then Venom is leaning down, face in his and Peter starts to panic because he’s pretty sure that’s Eddie’s body and if Venom does what he thinks Venom is going to do, then eww. Even if it’s just a kiss, Paedophilia is a big fat no.

Luckily enough, all Venom does is leap out of Eddie’s body and jump back into Peter’s mouth. Which is gross, but also welcoming because finally, _finally_ , they are complete.

Peter smiles. ‘Welcome back.’

There’s a soft _yap_ sound from behind Eddie, and Venom explains; **We have bonded with the Papillion, whose name is Shark.**

‘It wouldn’t stop following us.’ Eddie explains. ‘And Venom didn’t want to eat it. Also, your Aunt May called.’

‘Oh no.’

**Is that bad?**

‘That’s really, really bad.’

‘Don’t worry.’ Eddie reassures. ‘I told her that you and your friend were feeling really sick, so we took the both of you to the local hospital. Even had Dan reassure her. And it’s not like I was lying.’

‘Thank you so much.’

* * *

‘So why did you come to this planet?’ Peter asks, and for the first time since they crawled their way into the child, Venom does not want to speak the truth. This mutant human has welcomed them and showed acceptance and trust where it well and truly hasn’t been earnt. It has changed them.

But they are becoming two halves of the same whole, and Peter should find out the truth from them now, rather than have their friendship be built upon lies.

**A few of our kind were sent to scout the Earth, and prepare a means to bring the rest of us down to feast upon the meat of this planet.**

Peter nods, the feeling of acceptance flooding through their bond. The child isn’t happy with the information, but willing to listen nonetheless.

‘Do you still want to do that?’

Venom hesitates for a moment. **I don’t know.**

Peter hums in acceptance, dangling his legs over the roof they are sitting on. ‘I think it'd be a waste of the Earth’s resources if a whole lot of your kind decided to eat us all and move on. But if it's just us, we'd pretty much be set for life.’

**I hadn’t thought of it like that.**

‘Of course you hadn’t.’ Peter says, a grin stretching across their face. ‘But _we_ had.’ They pause. ‘I’m not going to say that this isn’t going to be hard to get used to, but as long as we only eat the really, _really_ bad people, then I guess it’s okay.’

A peaceful silence falls between them, something Venom is unused to. **I am also a looser, Peter.** They admit. **It is doubtful that I will be able to hold my own against Riot, as a looser.**

Peter laughs. ‘Dude, stop with the _‘I’s’_ , we’re losers together.’

**…We suspect that Eddie may also be a looser.**

Peter topples off the rooftop in laughter, webs and Venom working in harmony to stop them from splattering against the pavement below.

* * *

Eddie moves cautiously beside Peter, sneaking from area to area in search of the rocket. Which really shouldn’t be hard to find, because rockets are pretty big, but apparently Carlton’s home base is a lot bigger.

‘So, do we have a plan?’ Eddie asks.

Peter turns to him, and Eddie can’t help but see a bit of both Peter and Venom in the expression. **_‘No.’_** They say.

‘Right. We don’t have a plan. Of course. Let’s split up then, alright? I’ll try and shut the thing down and you two can go deal with whatever’s taken Carlton’s body.’

The Peter-Venom mix looks frightened at the mention of Carlton. After a moment they nod. **_‘Chances of surviving Riot are low, but we are not alone.’_**

Eddie doesn’t like the thought of either Peter or Venom going off and fighting the big bad Riot, but there isn’t much else that can be done. Unless they want to get the Avengers involved, but by the time they send word now it would be way too late.

So yeah, the fate of the world relies on a mutant child and his pet Symbiote. Sounds like a bit of a cliché, now that Eddie thinks about it.

But if it’s a cliché, then that means they’ll win.

And if they don’t, well, Eddie is going to have some _words_ with Dora in the afterlife.

* * *

When they find the rocket, they also find Riot. They dodge and jump and run, fighting off attacks and throwing their own. Riot overpowers them, but that is to be expected. There is fear and adrenaline pumping through their monstrous veins, and despite being pushed to the ground and beaten over and over again, they force themselves to keep standing.

Riot may be stronger, but their host is just that, a _host._

This strange combination of Peter-Venom, who is a mutant and a Symbiote all in one, is far more than a simple host. They are one, and they will protect this planet.

Their determination is what pushes them forward, and it is what also allows them to narrowly dodge and tear off the axe-hand that almost beheads them.

**_‘Seriously!?’_ **

And then, to make matters even worse, the rocket in front of them is getting all fired up, ready to be shot off into space and bring back a whole lot of vicious, human eating, aliens.

It’s not like the Peter-Venom mix can talk though, humans are delicious.

The more Peter side of the Peter-Venom mix wants to say _‘eww, that’s really messed up’_ but it’s not like humans _don’t_ taste good.

_Oh gods I’ve become a cannibal._

Right, the matter at hand. Riot. Climbing up the rocket that is about to fire into space. Crud.

Peter-Venom does the only thing they can think of doing and jumps onto the rocket to chase after Riot. At about the same time a horrifying noise echoes throughout the area, and of course Eddie just had to press the button that could weaken not only Riot, but also Peter-Venom.

The two Symbiotes claw at the outside of the rocket, trying to keep themselves on board. Riot’s form flickers to that of Carlton Drake, and while Peter-Venom manages to maintain Venom’s black, beastly appearance, they are weakening and need to act fast.

As the rocket begins to lift off the ground, they have an idea.

They desperately crawl away from Riot, silently begging for Eddie to turn the freaking speaker off before it kills them. They claw at the bottom of the rocket, combining the strength of both mutation and Symbiote, and despite the flames licking painfully at their flesh and the deadly sound blaring in their ears even over the top of the rocket launching, they manage to tear the rocket apart.

And just as they’re sticking their long, thick tongue out to mock Riot, everything explodes. Which really doesn’t surprise them. It’s been one of those weeks.

* * *

Eddie knows that playing the deadly, high-pitched sound probably wasn’t his brightest idea. But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. And yeah, watching Riot beat the living daylights out of a child made him a bit more desperate than the whole _‘we’re all going to die’_ thing.

When he sees the explosion, both Peter-Venom and Riot being sent flying through the air, he rushes in the direction of Peter-Venom.

Unfortunately for him, Carlton Drake is the one he comes across first. Fortunately, Carlton Drake is looking pretty crisp and dead, the Riot Symbiote wriggling and withering desperately on the floor, and okay, Eddie feels a tiny bit of pity for the creature. Until he remembers that oh yeah, the thing is an evil sonofabitch that just tried to kill his children.

Eddie opts to end the Symbiote’s miserable existence with a strange axe he finds not far away. The axe disintegrates in his hands as Red Riot shrivels up and dies, but nothing surprises him anymore, so oh well.

Anyway, he needs to find Peter-Venom and tell them that it’s all over.

* * *

‘So we told Aunt May that we’d be back home tomorrow.’ Peter says, walking side by side with Eddie. ‘Thanks for all the help, by the way.’

Eddie nods. ‘So, what’re you going to tell her?’

Peter shrugs. ‘That we were sick, I guess. It’s not like we can tell her the truth, and we’re going to have to try and pretend everything’s normal... it doesn’t help that we don’t even know how much more we’ll change in the long run… and the dog’s going to be pretty hard to explain…’

Both Peter and Eddie glance down at the Papillion trotting along obediently by their side, Shark being a well-behaved, perfectly groomed pooch.

‘Good luck with that. And if you ever need a place to hide out, there’s me. Or Anne. Or Dan. I’m pretty sure those two would adopt you if anything happens.’ Eddie says, pretending he hasn’t contemplated doing the same. He comes to a halt in front of a small convenience store. ‘So, you hungry?’

 ** _‘Starving.’_** Peter-Venom says, showing a few too many teeth on a human face. **_‘But we only eat the really bad guys.’_** They add in afterthought.

‘Right.’ Eddie says. ‘That’s why we’re here. Have a look inside.’

They do, right before going from Peter-Venom to Venom, beastly form and all, strolling up to the register and taking a bite out of the man who had a gun pointed at Mrs. Chen.

And just like in a cliché movie, everything works out well in the end.

Eddie smiles at the comparison.

‘You two got room for tater tots?’


End file.
